domingo, 28 de agosto de 2011

Christmas food trivia

For a few days around Christmas 2010, UK Burger King restaurants offered a 'Sprout Suprise Whopper'. It was a classic Burger King Whopper with Brussels sprouts and Emmental cheese.

On Christmas Day in 2008 almost 39,000 copies of iFart, a flatulance simulation software app, were downloaded.

On Christmas eve or Christmas day 2006 in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park, thieves stole a semi tractor trailer filled with broccoli. It was valued at $50,000.

Animal Cracker's were introduced at Christmastime in 1902. The carrying string on the box was designed so it could be hung on a Christmas Tree.

George I of England tasted his first Christmas pudding in 1714. It included 5 pounds of suet and 1 pound of plums.

In 1769 the crew of Captain Cook's 'Endeavour' celebrated Christmas in the Pacific with a goose pie and "all hands as drunk as our forefathers used to be upon like occasion."

The candy cane supposedly originated in 1670 when the choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral had candies made in the shape of a shepherd's crook. He distributed them to childred attending the church's creche scene to encourage them to silence.
Today more than 1.75 million candy canes are made each year for the Christmas season.

Bizochito is a small anise flavored sugar cookie or shortbread cookie, and is the official state cookie of New Mexico. Traditionally served at Christmas and special occasions such as weddings and baptisms.

The enoki mushroom is also known as the Christmas mushroom.

Good luck or an extra present goes to the first one to find a glass pickle ornament hidden on a Christmas tree. This German custom originated in an ornament making district, and has spread to the United States.

Berrien Springs, Michigan calls itself the Christmas Pickle Capital of the World. There is an annual Christmas Pickle Celebration in early December with a Pickle Parade lead by the Grand Dillmeister

Mince pies date back to medieval times and possibly long before. They are descended from a huge pie baked on Christmas Eve containing chopped beef, suet, nuts, spices and fruit of which whole dried plums were an important constituent. The pie was originally baked open but as time wore on a crust was added, on top of which a pastry effigy of the infant Jesus was laid to represent him lying in his cradle.

"....while visions of sugarplums danced in their head". Those famous sugarplums which fill children's dreams at Christmas were originally sugar coated coriander seeds, a treat that offered a sweet start and then a spicy burst of flavor. Later the recipe included small bits of fruit and became the confection we know today.